Nightmares
by Brunosaurs4
Summary: Late one night, Takumi comes to find Corrin.
1. Chapter 1

For Takukamu!

(I don't own FE)

* * *

 **Nightmares**

The storm raging around Nohr Castle that night was a particularly vicious one. It had started at around dinnertime, thunder and lightning roaring across the sky, while rain and hail pelted down on the land. Even though the Hoshidan family had only arrived the day before and a party planned, everyone had retired early, the weather having put a damper on the whole thing.

Corrin however, had not yet gone to sleep. Despite having been officially 'tucked in' (as she called it) by Joker and Felicia a couple of hours ago, she'd been sitting in bed, reading a romantic adventure novel she'd found among Camilla's old books. Her sister had left a rather goodish pile behind her when she'd moved to Hoshido, and Corrin was determined to get through them all. So far, she'd found them entertaining and highly… informative with regards to certain things.

But as the storm outside increased in intensity, she found herself wondering about her poor Hoshidan family.

 _'I wonder if they've gotten any sleep at all,'_ she mused, snuggling into her pillows as a particularly loud thunderclap made the window frames shake. _'Sakura might be afraid, but she and Elise are having a sleepover and Elise got over lightning ages ago… I don't think Hinoka or Ryouma are afraid of thunder, and neither is Taku-'_

There was a loud knock on the door. Corrin sat up with a yelp, nearly dropping her book.

"Who is it?" She called, quickly tossing her book underneath her bedcovers. "J-Jakob?"

"Corrin?" came Takumi's voice. "It's me."

"Takumi?" Corrin slipped out of bed and padded to the door, wondering if everything was alright. Takumi stood outside, a pale ghost in the darkness. Even in the dim light, his face was slick with sweat, and his hair and clothing were disheveled. He blinked at her and frowned.

"Corrin," he said, "so you're still awake."

"Takumi," she said, "what happened? Why are you here?"

He blinked again, rubbing his eyes. "I saw the light under your door," he said, "I can't find my way around this damned place." The thunder crashed again and he flinched, wincing angrily.

"Uh, but why are you wandering around the castle this late?" Corrin asked, "did something happen?"

"I was looking for the others," he replied. "Sakura, and everyone else." He rubbed his arms irritably. "I can't find any of their rooms. Why is this place so confusing?"

"But what happened? Why-"

"I just want to see them, alright?!"

"Takumi," Corrin said slowly, "It's late. Sakura is sleeping in Elise's room. Ryouma and Hinoka are with their spouses. Azura is probably in her own room, but she's probably fast asleep as well. You want to go barging into their rooms, waking them and their retainers and everybody else up, without a second thought?!"

Takumi glared at her. He opened his mouth to argue, paused, and closed it again with a sigh.

"I... you're right; I'm being stupid," he said, shoulders slumping. "I should just go to bed." He shook his head again and turned away. The sight of him looking so defeated made Corrin's heart clench. She reached out and grabbed his arm.

"No, wait. That's not what I said!" she exclaimed. "Look, whatever it is, tell me. I- we're not family, but we're friends, right?"

Takumi looked at her hand on his arm, then at her face, indecision on his features. Corrin tugged at him. "Come on," she said. "We can't stand here all night."

Takumi chewed his lip, finally inclining his head. "Alright," he said, "but… whatever I tell you, stays between the two of us, okay?"

"Of course."Closing the door behind them, Corrin steered him over to her bed. She sat down, patting the space next to her. Slowly, Takumi settled beside her.

"This is… a little unusual, you know," he pointed out. Corrin waved a hand dismissively.

"Its fine," she said, "I used to have Jakob over all the time when I was younger." She crossed her legs and gave him an expectant look. "So, what's bothering you?"

The troubled look returned to Takumi's face again. He rubbed his forehead and said: "its all Leo's fault."

"Leo?" Corrin raised her eyebrows. "How does Leo figure into this?"

"I'm telling you, aren't I?" He said testily. "Leo gave me this book. About- about the world being overrun by giant man eating monsters. And all the humans left are-"

"Oh, wait, yeah, I've read that one," Corrin said, realization dawning on her face, "oh yeah, I can understand why you freaked out, when I read it I-"

"Corrin, let me talk, will you?"

"Right right," Corrin said hastily, "so you had a nightmare about giant man eating monsters chasing you?"

"I - yeah," Takumi said. "I was outside the Imperial City, and these monsters appeared. They chased me, all the way inside the city walls. I had to hide in a ditch of some sort, and even then I could feel them, wandering about, looking for me."

"That's pretty bad," Corrin remarked.

"That's… not even half of it," Takumi said, with a bitter laugh. For a moment he fell silent, running his hands through his hair before interlocking his fingers together. When he spoke again, his voice was oddly monotonous: "There was a party. I-It was a fairly colorless affair- standard in a dream, I guess. I remember you. You were talking to me, and some other guests. The others were there, although I couldn't really see them.

"Then… there was a sort of stairway. It led up to nothing, only thin air. You and I climbed it. The next thing I remember is that it collapsed. We came down, and everyone was gone. I-We looked for them… the castle seemed to have changed, there were all these little corridors instead of the wide hallways there usually are. There was a small white door. I opened it, and… everyone was dead."

Corrin's eyes widened. "Dead?" She asked. "Who, y-"

"Everyone," Takumi said, "Sakura, Ryouma, Hinoka, Azura… everyone. Even Oboro and Hinata. They were all piled up in the room, one over the other." He covered his face with his hands. "The odd thing is, I can still see Sakura was right in front, just lying there all waxy pale-"

"Stop." Corrin said, "don't repeat it. Don't think about it."

Takumi looked at her, and gave a rueful smile. "Its okay," he said, "I've seen stuff like that before in my dreams. Someone dead, someone dying, someone out to kill me. Someone watching. It scares me, but… once some time passes, the fear goes away." He shook his head. "I'd have slept this one off; only I saw this one twice, so it was a little more disorienting."

Corrin frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked, "you've seen this before?"

"No, I saw it twice this night," he said. "You lead me out of there, you see; we ran, down the alleys and into a little room. Then you told me that we had to go back to look for survivors. We returned, and everyone was alive again; the palace was full of people. This time I raced to the little room, but it was still too late- the minute I opened the door, everyone was dead again, and the whole palace fell silent. You told me that there was someone killing people, and we had to get out. I grabbed Sakura's face, but I wasn't able to get her out." He shrugged. "That was when I woke up, and right after that I ran."

"Takumi…" gently, Corrin pulled him into a hug. He flinched in surprise before hugging her back.

"I'm sorry," she said, "that was awful."

"You're getting too emotional over this," he remarked, sounding slightly amused. Corrin shook her head, tightening her grip.

"No," she said, "even for a nightmare, no one should have to go through that."

He laughed. "Well, at least I had a dragon with me," he said, as they pulled apart from each other. "Whoever the killer was, would have had quite some time trying to get past you, huh?"

Corrin smiled. "That's true enough," she said. "I don't- I won't ever stop protecting you okay? If anything happens., you can always count on me."

"Are you implying that I can't protect myself?"

"Well… you're the one who came to me."

"Hey!" Takumi lightly punched her on the arm, and Corrin burst out laughing as well. He seemed back to his normal self, and it relieved her to see that. She stuck out her tongue at his disapproving expression, and said: "So, you're feeling better, then?"

"Yeah." Takumi stood up, straightening his clothing . "I suppose I'd better get back to bed," he said reluctantly. "I wish I didn't have to; no offense, but this castle is creepy at night . Now I see why Leo's so into the dark arts; this place practically reeks of it."

"Its not that bad," Corrin said shrugging. "You get used to it eventually. Although, if you want, you can sleep here."

"W-What?!" Takumi stared at her, eyes widening. "I can't- that would be inappropriate!"

"It'll be fine," she said. "I told you, I used to have-"

"Yes, but you were kids!" He exclaimed. "We're adults; we aren't-" He looked away, flushing.

Corrin made a face. "Look, if you feel like going back, then fine," she said, "but if you want to stay here, with the cozy candle-light and a dragon at your side, you're welcome to stay."

"I have candles in my room!" He retorted, trying to look disapproving. Corrin giggled and he winced. "Okay, that sounded bad," he said, "but still…"

"Do you want to go?" She asked him. "Its fine."

Takumi hesitated. "…No," he said. "I -its nice being with you. And this place does give me the creeps." Slowly, he climbed back into the bed, while Corrin slid over to give him room.

"You're okay with this?" He asked her. "And don't tell anyone I slept here; I-I'll be really mad at you."

"Its okay," Corrin said, patting him on the arm. "This night doesn't leave this room."

"Hmm." Takumi slid down into the sheets, yawing and closing his eyes. Corrin fished her book out from underneath the covers and tried to find her place. There was a comfortable silence for a while before he asked: "Why are you awake so late?"

"Reading," she answered.

"What's it about?"

"Pirates. And a pretty lady who needs to be rescued from them."

Takumi l scoffed. "Really? A bodice-ripper? You read those?"

"They're very good!" Corrin defended. "That term is overrated."

"Well, that's what the plot is mostly about," Takumi pointed out.

"And how would you know?"

"Well, I've tried reading them." Takumi said, blushing a little, "H- don't tell her I told you this- but Hinoka reads them too. When I ran out of my own books I tried her, but they're boring. And a little embarrassing."

"How are they boring?!"

"Well, the plot is more or less the same," Takumi pointed out. "The heroine, the hero, they look into each others eyes and think darkly passionate thoughts about each other." He stifled a yawn and stretched back.

"Well if you think that, then clearly you've been reading the wrong books," Corrin said, "Its not always about… romantic stuff, the plot's pretty good too!"

"I'm sure," Takumi teased, yawning again. "I'm sure the plot is great."

"Yes it is!" Corrin sat up. "Look! See, this one, its about a pirate; when he's a new on the seas, he meets a young girl, who tells him that she's rich and her father has engaged her to marry someone when she's eighteen. So the pirate guy promises her that on her eighteenth birthday, he'll come and save her, but when it actually comes she-" there was a snore. Corrin paused and looked at her companion. Takumi was fast asleep.

"What… well, I guess he really was tired out," she mused. Gently, she leaned towards him a little. His features were relaxed, his breathing regular. He actually looks pretty cute,' she thought, reaching out to stroke his hair from his face. He murmured and turned away to face the other side. Corrin smiled. Even asleep, he was still Takumi. Shaking her head, she snuggled back down to finish her book.

* * *

(AN: Sorry for any oocness or mistakes)


	2. The Morning After

Wrote up an epilogue of sorts that was initially meant to go at the end of last chapter. Enjoy!

(also, thanks to everyone who reviewed the first one)

* * *

 **Nightmares- The Morning After**

The next morning, Corrin woke up to a dim room and a sleeping Takumi in her arms. His face was inches from hers, one arm thrown carelessly across her waist, and as she moved he snuggled in closer, burying his face in her hair.

' _Oh dear,'_ Corrin thought, blushing, _'He's going to be_ so _embarrassed when he wakes up.'_ However, as she tried to disentangle herself from the sleeping prince, she was aware that her own heart was thumping rather badly, the warmth of her face increasing. She poked him in the ribs.

Takumi's eyes flew open.

"Ah," said Corrin, with a nervous smile. "Good morning."

Takumi blinked in the dim light, giving her a lazy smile. Then his eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

"Gah!" He yelped, rolling away from her, falling off the bed in a flurry of bedsheets.

"Takumi!" Corrin exclaimed sitting up in alarm. "Are you alright?" She lit up a candle just as Takumi stood up, wide-eyed and red-faced.

"Ah, yes-yes, I'm fine," he said breathlessly, "I, um, I just- this is not how I normally wake up."

"Yeah, I'm hoping you don't fall off the bed every morning," Corrin replied. Takumi gave her a dirty look.

"Very funny," he grumbled, throwing the sheet onto the bed, "I-Is it morning? Did we sleep like that the whole night?"

"Well, I don't know about the whole night, but you were snuggled pretty close to when I woke up," Corrin teased. Takumi turned even redder at this, and she couldn't help but laugh at the embarrassment on his face.

"Oh relax, Takumi" she said grinning. "Its okay. Nothing happened; you don't have to get so worked up about it."

"And you don't have to make so light of it either," he huffed, but he gave her a smile, his shoulders straightening into a more relaxed posture. "So, what time is it?"

"I think its still early." Corrin made her way to the windows, pushing the shutters open. The early morning light poured in, making her blink. "Hmm. Don't you love early mornings?"

"Early mornings are great," Takumi said, coming to stand next to her. "Not many people will be awake. I'll be able to get back to my room quietly."

Corrin nodded as he reached back to retie his messed up hair. Watching him, she realized with a start that he'd grown up from the awkward kid she'd first met back in Hoshido. He was taller, his shoulders broader, and the way the sunlight highlighted his-

' _-whoa,'_ she thought, surprised _, 'calm down, Corrin, what're you thinking?'_

"Corrin?" Takumi was staring at her, and she realized that he'd been saying something.

"Sorry?" She asked.

"I said 'thank you'," Takumi repeated, "for last night. You're a good… friend. Person."

"-Not sister," Corrin finished. Takumi caught her eye and flushed.

"Yeah," he said, looking away. "Not sister." There was an awkward silence as he resumed straightening his hair and clothing. Corrin stared out the window, trying not to stare at him, although her traitorous eyes kept sliding back despite herself.

"Alright," Takumi said, when he was done, "See you later?" He gave her a smile and a nod, and strode to the door, pulling it open.

Jakob was standing outside, hand raised.

"Aaaaargh!" Takumi slammed the door shut. "Dammit!"

"What?" Corrin yelped, startled. She hurried to his side. "What? What happened?"

"Your blasted butler!" Takumi hissed. "He's right outside the door!"

Corrin's mouth dropped. "Oh sh-" she covered her mouth. Takumi grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door.

"What do we do now?" he demanded. "He's seen me!"

"Are you sure?"

Takumi gave her an incredulous look and she nodded. "Sorry. Oh course he has," she said quickly. "But… it's not that bad, right? Its only Jakob."

"Only Jakob?" Takumi exclaimed. "You don't care what he thinks?"

"Well I do," Corrin said, blushing, "But… there's nothing we can do about that, right? And he won't tell anyone if I tell him not to."

"But even then," Takumi insisted, "your reputation in front of your servants is pretty important, right?"

Corrin shrugged. "I don't think they care whether I've slept with anyone or not," she said, "and I can't give your secret away- _that_ would be wrong."

"My secret…" Takumi stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. Corrin squirmed, a little taken aback at the intensity of his expression.

"What?" She asked.

"…nothing." Takumi said. "Its just… tell him, about last night, if you feel fit. Its… not that big a deal."

Corrin laughed. "Its fine, Takumu," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "I don' think Jakob will care. He's so sweet, he won't judge."

"Sweet?" Takumi echoed, but Corrin was already heading towards the door.

Jakob was still standing there with her breakfast tray in his hands. Felicia hovered behind Jakob, empty-handed since he wouldn't let her carry anything.

"Ah, good morning," Corrin said, as normally as she could. Jakob entered, giving her a bow. To his credit, he didn't react to Takumi's presence at all.

"Good morning milady," he said with a jovial smile, as if the prince being in her room was a perfectly normal occurrence.

Felicia, on the other hand, gaped at him.

"P-P-Prince?" She gasped, "Prince Takumi! What're you-"

"Felicia," Jakob said quickly. "Don't you have work to do?"

Felicia squeaked, as she ran to open the rest of the windows. Her eyes kept darting between Corrin and Takumi, who still hadn't moved from the corner of the room. Jakob bustled about with all his usual efficiency. Watching them work, a plan began to formulate in Corrin's head.

"Uh…" she began slowly. Jakob stopped and looked at her questioningly.

"Yes, my lady?" He asked.

"Um, Jakob? Could you, take Prince Takumi back to his room?" She asked. Takumi started.

"W-What?" He said, "Why? I mean- why him?"

"Jakob knows the castle pretty well," Corrin explained, "he'll know all the secret passages and where all the servants will be; he can take you back so that no one sees you."

"Of course," Jakob turned to Takumi. "I shall be delighted to help his highness."

"See?" Corrin said happily. "I told you he'd help!"

"…ah. Ok-ay," Takumi said. "Um, thanks, Jakob." Jakob pulled open the door, standing by it with a politely patient attitude. Slowly, Takumi made his way across the room, looking surprised and a little stunned. Corrin gave him a wave as Jakob ushered him out of the room, pulling the door shut behind them.

"Um… my lady?" Felicia was standing by the bed. "Um… do you want the sheets changed?"

Corrin shrugged. "If you like," she said, smiling. She was feeling oddly happy, like something wonderful had happened. It was weird, she thought, how oddly things worked out. Even after Ryouma had revealed to her the circumstances of her real parentage, the fact that Takumi had always denied being her brother had stung. But now, she found herself wondering whether the lack of familial feelings between them could perhaps lead to something. Something new and wonderful.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Jakob hadn't said a word. Not one single word, merely led him down a series of narrow corridors till Takumi hadn't a clue where they were anymore. Yet there was disapproval _radiating_ off of the butler.

' _He's probably thinking up of ways to kill me,'_ Takumi thought peevishly, glaring at the man's back. _'I can't believe Corrin thinks he's_ sweet _, of all things.'_ The thought of the Nohrian princess still confused him. Corrin was naïve and somewhat dense at times, but she was also kind and sweet, and he found himself oddly comfortable around her; he could talk to her for hours without feeling bored, and as time had passed he had realized that he preferred her company over others.

' _Let it go Takumi,'_ he told himself, _'it's pointless right now.'_

"Prince Takumi, here we are." Takumi recognized the corridor, and the door Jakob was standing by as his own.

"Thanks," he said, determinedly avoiding the man's eyes, "you know where I sleep, huh?"

"Of course," Said Jakob smoothly, "and I hope that should you wish to make any more nightly sojourns, you will have memorized the path to Princess Corrin's room. It would be… unfortunate were you to wander somewhere else."

Takumi frowned. "Are you threatening me?" He asked. Jakob's eyes widened.

"My _lord_!" he said, "I don't mean to give any offence. I was merely warning you; had someone else caught you, would it not have been bad for you?"

"I suppose," Takumi said, folding his arms "but still, where I go at night is my business."

"My apologies," said Jakob, "whichever maiden you like to visit is entirely your own business." He smiled at the prince, his eyes making the implication clear. Takumi blushed.

"G-Good bye, Jakob," he sputtered, quickly slamming the door shut.


End file.
